Well, it’s quite obvious, with the increase in the value of the diamonds its price also increases. The question is which diamonds are the best value for money? Let’s see how you can find the best value for the most common diamond cuts available in the market.
Which diamonds are the best value for money?
As we know, Diamonds are judged on their 4Cs i.e. It’s most important characteristics are color, clarity, cut, and the weight of the carat.
The point is that you don’t need to buy the best-graded diamond on all these attributes in order to have a stone that looks just as clean and colorless as the diamonds of the highest quality. Here is a list of diamond cuts that are worth the hard-earned money:
1. Round-Cut diamond
The brilliant round cut is indeed the most renown diamond cut, its strong brilliance and luster make diamond inclusions such as its yellowish part and flaws less visible to the naked eye. Diamond clearness will bring about the best value for money. Let’s analyze the characteristics of a good-value round cut diamond.
Colour of the diamond
Color grades in the D-E-F range are better and are perfectly colorless, but the difference is quite hard to notice with the naked eye.
For round-cut diamonds, a color in the H-I-J grading range provides the best value.
So, the extras you would need to spend on a perfect color would have a marginal effect on the look of the diamond.
Quality of the diamond
For settings like yellow gold, opt for a stone in the K-L-M range – the diamond will have a visible yellowish inclusion, but it won’t be that noticeable, as the color of the gold will make the white in the stone neutral.
Don’t consider a diamond that has quality lower than J color if the diamond is going to be set in a white setting, the color present in the diamond will become too noticeable.
Diamond Clarity
When it comes to select the diamond with the best clarity, you can obtain the best value by opting for a stone graded VS2 or SI1.
The Higher the clarity of the diamonds are the cleaner it is. but this is visible under magnification.AVS2 diamond, for example, looks as clean as one of a higher clarity grade to our naked eye.
Buying a diamond graded SI2 that looks clean to the eye can be also a good option.
Some of the stones in this clarity grade contains h visible inclusions, that are unlikely to get noticed. If you sort through enough SI2-clarity diamonds, it’s quite obvious you will find some stones that look pretty good for their price.
Carat Weight
The higher the carat of a diamond, the more expensive it is, so if you want to save money, you should opt for smaller stones.
However, if you have decided on a certain carat value, you should know that you might be able to get a stone that looks roughly the same size but is cheaper.
So, how do you get the best value on carat?
In general, the standard carat weights, such as 0.25 ct, 0.50 ct, 0.75 ct, 1.00 ct, and so on, are in most demand.
Values just under these weights – e.g., 0.20 ct, 0.40 ct, 0.70 ct, 0.90 ct, etc. – are cheaper not only because they are lighter, but also because they are not as sought after. And the best part is that they don’t look noticeably smaller than the standard carats.
Other Diamond Cuts
The principles of identifying round-cut diamonds that are good value are generally the same for other cuts.
Some adjustments are needed, though, in the areas of color and clarity, as these cuts don’t have as much brilliance as the round cut, and imperfections in them tend to be more visible.
2. Princess-Cut
Don’t go lower than I color, though, as the princess cut reflects more color than the round brilliant. For yellow gold settings, you can go as low as J or K color.
Color: opt for color within the H-I range. A color grade higher than H as it won’t give any significant improvement visible with the naked eye.
Clarity: For princess cuts, VS2 or SI1 clarity grades provide the best value.
3. Emerald-Cut diamond
Color: Don’t go lower than H color, which provides the best appearance for money. The emerald cut and the Asscher cut don’t have as much brilliance as the round cut has. For yellow gold settings, you can pick J color; K color can also look good in this metal.
Clarity: Because of the lower brilliance of the emerald and Asscher cuts, inclusions in them are more noticeable, so don’t go lower than VS2 clarity.
4. Radiant Cut diamond
Color: For radiant and cushion cuts, H color will give you the best value, and going lower is not recommended for platinum or white gold settings. For yellow gold, I or J color provides the best value.
Clarity: SI1 and SI2 clarity are the value for diamonds you can get and still have a diamond that is clean to the naked eye.
5. Marquise-Cut diamond
Color: These cuts also tend to show more color than the round cut and the princess cut, so it is recommended that you don’t go lower than H color. For yellow gold settings, you can go as low as I or J color.
Clarity: Buying SI1 or SI2 clarity will result in the best value for money for pear-cut, marquise-cut, and oval-cut diamonds.
Diamond-Cut Grade
The diamond’s cut grade is something directly proportional to its brilliance. Well-cut diamonds have more luster, and that’s why cut is a characteristic that is worth paying for, even if it is of the highest grade.
However, the inquiry is which diamond is the best value for money. if you are not much interested in spending much money and cut is also something you’d rather save money on, don’t go for diamonds whose cut has lower gradation than Good. Fair and Poor cuts lack good quality and look much less bright.
FAQs
Q 1 Which is the best diamond value for money diamond?
Round cut diamond and radiant cut diamond is the best value for money diamond.
